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Sunday, February 4, 2018

A bookish update...

I've never read an Elizabeth Bowen novel before, and while I probably won't be blogging about this one, I did like it enough to want to try some of her other books.

Highlights from the St. George Winter Bird Festival:

Jan. 26-27th turned out to be an awesome birding weekend for me. I saw 17 birds that I'd never seen before, which was a lot of fun. My favorite? The Vermillion Flycatcher.

(Female)

Isn't this bird cute? It's common in places like Texas, but it is very rare in Utah. There are only a few that winter over here. And I got to see two of them!!! I also saw several Great-tailed Grackles.

Apparently, they like to hang out in the Wal-Mart parking lot. But that's not where I saw them; I spotted these birds walking along the Virgin River and at Tonaquent Park along with one Hooded Merganser, a dozen Wood Ducks, two Verduns, three Kestrels, a Rock Wren, Bewick's Wren, Wilson's Snipe, Northern Mockingbird, Black Phoebe, Abert's Towhee, several Gambel's Quail, a Ladderback Woodpecker, some Black-tailed Gnatcatchers, and a Crissal Thrasher (which has a long curvy beak and a very lyrical song). And on our very last day at the bird festival we finally spotted this sleepy screech owl.

All in all, it was a very good birding trip!

Recently checked out of the library:

Blood Mist by Mark Roberts

Red Hill and Among Monsters by Jamie McGuire

Stalking Ground by Margaret Mizushima

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by J.L. Bryan

Mobile Library by David Whitehorse

Wickedly Wonderful by Deborah Blake

Recently viewed on DVD:

Traitors, an Arabic movie with English subtitles, is set in Tangiers, Morocco, and follows Malika, the lead singer of an all-female punk rock band, as she tries to earn enough money to pay for her band's first demo and keep her mother from being evicted from their apartment. It's written and directed by Sean Gullette. And I loved it. The setting. The tough and fiesty main character. The music. Everything.

Thanks for the pics of the birds and the success of your bird watching trip! I'm glad your birding weekend was a success. :) The eagles on our property in the country have evidently laid this years eggs. The friend who watches and photographs them is eagerly awaiting the hatching.

I found The Death of the Heart hard going when I read it. It has made me afraid to pick up any more of her books! I know many admire her writing, however. If you can, please blog about the next title you read if you like it, then I will be encouraged to give her another try.

I LOVE your bird pictures. My daughter is on the look out for a snowy owl. I used to love to watch birds as a child with my grandparents. I'm loving now that so many hawks and eagles are back in Wisconsin - they are so majestic!

Sounds like a fantastic birding trip, and I love the photos! I enjoy birds, but lack the patience for proper birding. Still, I enjoy seeing the birds that come to our feeder, and others that I notice on my walks and drives. I live in a semi-rural area, so I often get to see hawks and even bald eagles.